A 71-year-old woman told the police she had helped between five and eight people obtain an invalidity pension in the span of six months, a court heard yesterday.

Police Inspector Joseph Cordina explained how Saverin Sinagra, a pensioner of Zejtun, said she had helped the people in question by directing them to third parties.

She also collected a Lm600 payment, which she handed over to a certain Thomas Woods, who worked at the Health Ministry, but said she did not have a share of that money.

Inspector Cordina was testifying before Magistrate Edwina Grima in the compilation of evidence against Ms Sinagra who is pleading not guilty to bribing a public official to obtain invalidity pensions for others and accepting bribes from third parties to influence the public official on and before June this year.

The officer said he started investigating the case when the police received a letter from the Ministry of Family and Social Solidarity. The letter referred to a certain John Camilleri who alleged that he had been asked to pay to obtain an invalidity pension.

Inspector Cordina said that on June 4 he spoke to Mr Camilleri who explained that he worked at Malta Shipyards and wanted to leave. Someone told him that Ms Sinagra could help him obtain an invalidity pension. When he contacted her she told him to take sick leave and go to a certain Joseph Cassar, a doctor, to obtain a certificate.

The inspector explained that, for Mr Camilleri to obtain an invalidity pension he had to get the approval of two boards, one at his place of employment, and the Health Ministry's board. Ms Sinagra would help him with the ministry's board.

Mr Camilleri told the police that Ms Sinagra advised him to contact a certain Thomas Woods who worked at the ministry. She later told him that Mr Woods requested a Lm600 payment, that was to be divided among several people.

When he heard about the payment he told Ms Sinagra that he did not want to pay and she phoned Mr Woods to inform him about this.

Two days later, Mr Camilleri went to speak to Dr Cassar because he thought he was involved in the matter. He wanted to ask the doctor to help him out and told him he was willing to pay his share but did not want to pay Lm600. On hearing this Dr Cassar looked surprised and angry. He then asked Mr Camilleri to repeat all this in front of ministry officials and, eventually, the Ministry of Family and Social Solidarity sent the letter to the police.

Inspector Cordina added that on June 8, he arrested Ms Sinagra and searched her house where the police found two medical certificates and a letter addressed to the Department of Social Services.

She confirmed she had helped about five or eight people obtain an invalidity pension and asked them for Lm600. She insisted, however, she never took any share of that money. The people handed her the money in a sealed envelope which she then handed over to Mr Woods. She said Mr Woods told her that the money was not for him and that as far as he was concerned a bottle of whisky was enough.

She also said that one or two of the people she helped had given her some money, ranging from Lm5 to Lm20.

The officer also spoke to Mr Woods who denied requesting or taking money but confirmed that people went to him for advice on how to obtain the invalidity pension.

At the end of the sitting, Magistrate Grima ruled there were sufficient reasons for the indictment of Ms Sinagra.

Lawyers Kris Busietta and Jason Azzopardi was defence counsel.